Diwali

Diwali, also called Deepavali, is a major Indian festival that is very significant in Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism. Known as the "Festival of Lights," it symbolises the victory of good over evil, and lamps are lit as a sign of celebration and hope for humankind. Celebrations focus on lights and lamps, particularly traditional dīpa or deeya (earthen lamp, as illustrated). Fireworks are associated with the festival. Diwali is a colloquial name used in North India, while the festival is formally called Deepavali in South India.
	Diwali is celebrated for three consecutive days at the end of Hindu month of Ashwayuja. It usually occurs in October/November, and is one of the most popular and eagerly awaited festivals in India. Diwali comes exactly twenty days after Dussehra. Hindus and Sikhs alike regard it as a celebration of life and use the occasion to strengthen family and social relationships. For Hindus it is one of the most important festivals, and beginning of the year in some Hindu calendars. There are several beliefs regarding the origin of the holiday. The most repeated version is that Hindus celebrate Diwali to mark the time when Lord Rama achieved victory over Ravana. Some also view it as the day Krishna defeated the demon Narakasura or in honor of the day Bali went to rule the nether-world, obeying the order of Vishnu. It is also a significant festival for the Sikh faith. In India, Diwali is now considered to be more of a national festival, and the aesthetic aspect of the festival is enjoyed by most Indians regardless of faith.
Dates in various calendars: The festival is celebrated for a differing number of days by different communities. In Maharashtra and Karnataka, the celebrations start from Vasubaras, 12th day of the second fortnight of Ashvin (going on for 6 days) while in Northern India the celebrations start from Laxmi Puja the no moon day of the same month (going on for 2-3 days). Though the core days are common and fall on exactly the same set of days across India, they fall in different months depending on the version of the Hindu calendar being used in the given region. The Amanta ("ending on the no-moon") version of the Hindu Calendar has been adopted as the Indian national calendar. According to this calendar, which is prevalent in southern India and Maharashtra, the 6-day celebration is spread over the last four days of the month of Ashwayuja and the first two days of the new month of Kartika. According to the Purnimanta ("ending on the full-moon") version prevalent in northern India, it falls in the middle of the month of Ashwayuja/Ashvin. In the Gregorian calendar, it falls generally in the months of October or November. In 2006, it was celebrated on October 21 (Saturday).
Significance in Hinduism: The festival marks the victory of good over evil. The Sanskrit word Deepavali means an array of lights that stands for victory of brightness over darkness. As the knowledge of Sanskrit diminished, the name was popularly modified to Diwali, especially in northern India. In South India, Diwali does not coincide with the beginning of a new year as South Indians follow a different calendar, the Shalivahana calendar. On the day of Diwali, many wear new clothes, share sweets and snacks, and light firecrackers. Some North Indian business communities start their financial year on Diwali and new account books are opened on this day. Hindus find cause to celebrate this festival for different reasons: It commemorates the killing of Narakasura, an evil demon who created havoc, by Lord Krishna's wife Satyabhama. This happened in the Dwapara Yuga during this time of Lord Krishna's avatar. In another version, the demon was killed by Lord Krishna himself. Before Narakasura's death, he requested a boon from his mother, Satyabhama (believed to be an Avatar of Bhudevi - Narakasura' mother), that everyone should celebrate his death with colorful light.
According to the Skanda Purana, the goddess Shakti observed 21 days of austerity starting from ashtami of shukla paksha (eighth day of the waxing period of moon) to get half of the body of Lord Shiva. This vrata (austerity) is known as kedhara vrata. Deepavali is the completion day of this austerity. This is the day Lord Shiva accepted Shakti into the left half of the form and appeared as Ardhanarishvara. The ardent devotees observe this 21 days vrata by making a kalasha with 21 threads on it and 21 types of offerings for 35 days. The final day is celebrated as kedhara gauri vrata. Read More.....

Dussehra

Dussehra or Vijay Dashmi is a very popular Hindu Festival, celebrated with éclat throughout the country. It is observed on the tenth day of the bright half of Ashvina (September-October). It is a ten-day celebration, during which Ramlila, which is based on the epic story of the Ramayana, is staged at various places in most of the cities and towns in northern India with elaborate rituals. During its performance the Ramayana is constantly recited accompanied by music. It presents a fine blending of music, dance, mime and poetry before an enthusiastic and religious audience sharing every event of the story with the actors.

Struggle between the forces of good and evil, and the eventual victory of good over the evil, is the basic theme of Ramayana. Rama symbolizes the best in humanity and Ravana the evil force. Dussehra in Sanskrit also means "taking away ten sins." The ten heads of Ravana, represents these ten sins and Rama destroys them. Ravana adducted Sita with the help of another demon named Maricha. Ravana kept Sita in the Ashoka Grove and persisted in making Sita his wife, but Sita always thought of her husband Rama. Rama sent his messengers to Ravana and urged him to return Sita. But the evil Ravana refused to do so. Rama set off for Lanka with Sugriva, Hanuman, Angada, Jambvan and hundreds of other mighty monkeys. Ravana's younger brother Vibhishana, a noble soul and devotee of God, however, took refuge with Rama. Rama built a causeway in the sea to carry him and his forces across the water. Dussehra : Killing of RavanaRama, along with his young brother Lakshmana, killed all the demons and their king Ravana and regained Sita.Finally they returned to Ayodhya in Vimana Pushpaka. On this occasion huge effigies stuffed with brilliant fireworks are raised at various open grounds and set fire to by Rama. The effigies belong to Ravana, his brother Kumbhakarna and son Mehgnatha. This marks the culmination and termination of the celebrations. Elaborate and gay processions depicting various scenes of the Ramayana in the form of tableaus are taken out through bazaars and main streets. Apart from all this, Ramlila is also performed as a dance-drama by professional troupes. Dussehra festival held at Mysore, is one of India's most colorful phenomena. The spectacular procession taken out on this day is a veritable extravaganza. The colorful Dussehra fair and festival of Kulu is also very famous. Among the Ramalilas, the one staged at Varanasi under the patronage of the local Raja deserves mention. On this auspicious day Lord Rama is worshipped, prayed and meditated upon to obtain his blessings and favour. In old days the kings generally marched their forces on this day against their enemies, the day when Rama routed Ravana.